You Can't Fake a Blush
by B100-Lips
Summary: Hikaru is struggling with his sexuality, Kaoru knows what he wants, and Mori is quite the gentleman. In this tale of romance, courtship, and self-discovery, will Hikaru fell the same way? Will Kaoru get what he wants? Is Tamaki an idiot? Well, yes, to the last one, but if you read you may just find the answers to the first two. :3 Yaoi! Don't like, don't read!
1. Average

It's an average day; the sky is blue, the weather is nice, classes are normal, and nothing weird is happening. Haruhi is sitting beside me, in between Kaoru and me, and is paying close attention to the teacher's lecture. Kaoru is doing the same. I'm paying close enough attention, but to be honest my thoughts are elsewhere. Lately nothing seems quite right, not the way it used to, and I'm not sure why.

It all started around a week ago, during host hours. I was doing my routine with Kaoru, as usual, when a thought popped into my head. How do I really feel about Haruhi? I started thinking about it then, but nothing really changed until later that week. I've known she was different for a while now, but what does that mean? Does it mean we're close friends? Do I like her in a romantic way? Was it a more familial affection? I had to know. I'm not sure why, but something told me it was important to think about it, so I did. I ended up thinking about it a lot, and along the way I realized that, if anything, I thought of her as a sister.

The problem is, for a while now I've thought I might have a crush on her. I thought that, maybe, since she was different, I might actually like her. Recently, though, I realized that that's just not the case. I looked at myself, at how I felt about her, and I realized that I just don't want her. The more I focus on it, the more obvious it becomes.

My thoughts keep drifting in that direction now; not so much on Haruhi, more about romance in general. It feels weird to think like this, especially since it was never really on my mind before. I never really thought about being with anyone or at least not this much. Lately all I can think about is what kind of person I want to be with. No matter how hard I try, no girl seems to fit the bill. I've thought of dating cute girls, the sweet type, but I'd end up making them cry. I don't want a bitchy chick; I'd probably slap her in the face! I'm not into brainy girls either, or brainless bimbos. Is there something wrong with me? What kind of guy can't even fantasize about chicks?

"Hikaru, pay attention. The teacher is going to notice if you keep staring into space." Haruhi leans over to whisper at me. I'm shaken from my daydream and forced to pay closer attention to the boring lecture. I take notes automatically, as per usual, and wait impatiently for the bell to ring. I just want to do something interesting to take my mind off of all this weird romance crap. Maybe host club will be especially entertaining today. Before long, the bell rings, signaling my eager departure from the dreary classroom, waiting only a moment on Kaoru and Haruhi.

Normally, I would talk to Kaoru about this kind of thing, but lately he's been a bit unusual. It's like he's been keeping a secret from me, and he's doing his best to avoid talking to me at all. He's learned by now that I know exactly how to get stuff out of him, which makes it even harder to do it at all. Even so, I figure it's not that important, so I can probably figure it all out on my own. We walk into the music room together, Haruhi walking away from us, getting caught up in Tamaki's idiocy, and Kaoru and I linking arms, walking over to bother Kyouya. It seems he's been the victim of our pranks a lot lately.

"Hello, Kyou-Kyou. How are you doing today?" Kaoru starts off with an annoying nickname. Sure enough, Kyouya replies in annoyance.

"Please refrain from calling me stupid names. Its bad enough Tamaki is convinced it's appropriate to deem me 'mother', I don't need any other odd names floating around. Should one of our customers hear it, I would never hear the end of it." Even so, his tone remains flat, as per usual.

"Aww, Kyou-Kyou's cranky today Kaoru. I think he needs to relax." I jump in, taking one of his shoulders. Kaoru follows suit, taking the other, however he takes an unexpected approach.

"I think he needs to get laid." He whispered directly into Kyouya's ear. For a moment, I'm terrified of how he would react, however I find his response to be quite…shocking.

"E-excuse me?!..." He sputtered at a loss for words. His face was a slight pinkish color and he looked completely frazzled for a moment. Whoa, hold on a second, what the hell is going on here? Is Kaoru flirting with Kyouya? More importantly…is it actually _working_?

"You know, Kyou-Kyou, I know someone who could take care of that for you." His tone is subtly flirtatious. Holy shit, Kaoru is flirting with Kyouya!

"The-that would be highly inappropriate, Kaoru." Kyouya tried to regain composure, but It's obvious he's being affected.

"Oh, in that case, should I do the honors?" WOW, talk about balsy! I didn't know he had it in him!

"K-Kaoru! That is quite…" At that moment, Tamaki interrupted.

"Alright, gentlemen! As your king, I have a magnificent plan for the host club today!" We all turned to focus on our self-proclaimed king, who was holding a very uncomfortable-looking Haruhi at his side. "Today, we will switch around a bit. Hani-sempai is out sick today and can't make it to the club, however Mori is still here. Because of this, we have an even number of hosts. I think we should take advantage of this rare opportunity and partner up in new pairs! Haruhi and I will be a pair, of course, and I think I'll put Hikaru with…Mori, and Kaoru with Kyouya! This will be great!" He started bouncing around the room with Haruhi, blabbering on enthusiastically.

"Is this a good idea? I mean, we already have specific customers and acts. I can't very well do a brotherly love act with Mori, now can I?" I turn to Kyouya, the voice of reason. He seems taken off guard for a moment, but then pushes up his glasses to begin speaking.

"Actually, Hikaru, I think this could be an excellent idea. If all goes well, we could use this to our advantage. It could actually enhance our productivity by a large margin in cases of host absence, like today. It will also benefit each of us to learn how to cope in different settings, which will only boost your ability as a host. Moreover, due to the fact that certain acts, such as your and Kaoru's brotherly love act as well as Hani and Mori's…cute…act, do require two people, it will be best if you are put into pairs so as to avoid too much awkwardness. Besides, in some ways, your audience is similar to Mori's, and if you must you could probably still pull off a forbidden love act." He smiles deviously. That jerk only cares about the money. Kaoru seems oddly pleased though. I wonder what all of that is about.

"Whatever. Mori, what do you think we should do then? I mean…do you feel comfortable doing a forbidden love act or what?" I turn to find him right behind me, almost walking into him. I gasp and step back a bit, finding his eyes on me. I never noticed how intense his stare is before, or how he seems to look straight into you. Not through you, it's like he's holding you in place with his eyes. I can feel my face heating up a bit.

"I don't mind. I think it goes without saying that you'll have to be the submissive one." He almost smiles a bit, his tone as flat and baritone as ever. I manage to break away from the stare, swallowing the lump in my throat so I can talk.

"Yeah, no problem. I can manage that; I just need to know…how far you're willing to go. I mean, with Kaoru and I we got by mostly with words, but you're not the talking type. We're probably going to have to push it a bit farther if we want it to be believable. What are you comfortable with?" I'm trying to avoid eye contact without seeming rude.

"I'm not particularly uncomfortable with anything. Whatever is needed, I will do it." His words are straightforward and blunt, but still irksomely vague. I have to be blunt as well, which is usually not a problem at all, but suddenly…I feel shy.

"Well, would you be uncomfortable with, say…" I can feel my face heat up a bit, which makes me even more embarrassed. "..kissing?" There's a long pause before I finally look up at his face. His expression is exactly the same; completely neutral. He just shakes his head, no.

"Whatever is needed, I will do it." He repeats resolutely. He takes it so seriously; I can't help but feel a bit intimidated.

"If you're sure, I can set up a scenario where you don't have to say much. You just have to react believably." He nods as I begin to tell him the plan. Before long, the customers arrive. Girls file into the room, as per usual, but quickly notice a slight change in set up. Quiet chatter begins to break out in the crowd, the girls looking around unsurely until Tamaki stood to silence them.

"Hello, ladies! I'm sorry to inform you that, unfortunately, Hani-sempai is sick today, and therefore couldn't make it here." A chorus of 'awww's and 'oh no'es could be heard at that statement. "Because of this, however, we have arranged something quite interesting for you all. As you can see, we're set up a bit differently than normal. That is because we have decided to move pairs around for the day! For today, Haruhi and I will be hosting together, as well as Kyouya and Kaoru, and Takeshi and Hikaru! That being said, please enjoy, ladies. Be sure to tell us how you liked this arrangement before you leave." And with his words, hosting began. At first, the girls seemed unsure of where to go. Kaoru and my usual clients seemed especially unsure. After a while, though, things seemed to work out. Now, Mori and I have two girls sitting across from us. For a moment we sit in silence, barely saying anything at all. I look around the room to see how the others are doing. Kaoru seems to be doing an oddly realistic routine with Kyouya where he teases him and Kyouya doesn't react much. Every once in a while, he says something that makes him blush. Tamaki seems to be shamelessly flirting with Haruhi and getting turned down bluntly. Seeing their success makes me feel the motivation to do this right.

"It must be awful being separated from Kaoru, Hikaru! I'm so sorry." One of the girls pipes up. Just as I expected they'd react.

"He and I have actually been arguing. To be honest, I'm glad. He's just been so angry at me lately." I trail off, my thumb at my lips. The girls gasp in unison.

"No way, Kaoru? I'm so sorry, Hikaru, we had no idea!" The other girl spoke up this time. I smiled a falsely strained smile.

"No, don't worry. I'm fine, really. It's just that…lately I've been feeling like I'm not enough anymore…" On cue, Mori glares downwardly, clenching his fist slightly.

"Nn.." He makes a slightly angry noise in his throat. The subtle bit is noticed by the girls of course, who gasp softly at his obvious wanting to comfort me.

"I just don't know…maybe I'm just a terrible person…" I trail off again, leaning forward a bit so as to look depressed.

"No, Hikaru, you're great! I'm sure you'll work it out!" Girl number one coos reassuringly, the other girl nodding in agreeance.

"Nn.." Mori makes another slightly angry noise, this time seeming to glare at nothing. I turn to look at him with false curiosity.

"Are you okay, sempai?" I ask him softly, using submissive tones I'm unfamiliar with. On cue, he turns to me with an intensely passionate look in his eyes, those dark eyes that bore into mine. I can feel my face start to flush a bit, which has never happened to me before. You can't fake a blush. I've never blushed with Kaoru! Is it because Mori's not my brother?

"It's not right for you to feel guilty. You've done nothing wrong, Hikaru." His tone is laced with jealousy. I'm taken aback at his acting ability.

"What if he doesn't forgive me, though? I'll be all alone…" I trail off with false insecurity.

"No you won't." His voice is forceful; he leans forward taking my shoulders. "You don't need to worry about him, Hikaru." He looks deep into my eyes. I pause for a moment, trapped in those eyes; unable to move or speak or even breathe for that moment. Then I remember that I have to talk.

"What do you mean…sempai?" It comes out softer than I intended, almost a whisper as our gazes remain locked. Then, after a long pause, he slowly leans forward. I can hear the audible gasp from our two customers, but the closer his face gets to mine, the quieter the rest of the room seems to be. Then his lips are on mine, and the rest of the world falls away.

The second our lips touch I feel something warm erupt in my stomach. I start to feel like I'm floating, and also like I'm incredibly hot. My eyes close involuntarily as I lean into the kiss, applying more pressure. My hands, resting on his knees, fist into the material of his pants. I feel him press closer against my lips, pushing me back slightly. I return the kiss, maintaining the submissive role as he dominates the kiss. One of his hands rises to cup my cheek as his tongue darts across my lower lip. I hear myself moan quietly as I part my lips to allow him entrance, his hot tongue slipping past them possessively. He explores my mouth, stroking my tongue gently and tickling the roof of my mouth sensually. I hear myself moan again and feel my face grow even hotter. I feel my hands rise to fist in the front of his shirt on his chest. The kiss continues like this for what feels like forever and yet not long enough, before air becomes a necessity. We pull apart slowly, Takeshi nibbling on my lower lip gently before pulling back completely. We lock eyes, panting for a few minutes before we realize that the entire room is silent.

"I like you Hikaru…" Takeshi continues following the script, however his tone is no longer flat. His voice seems to be unsure and laced with longing. Can you fake that? He's blushing slightly and his hand is still on my cheek. We're only a few inches apart, and my fists are still firmly in his shirt.

"S-sempai…" I don't even remember of I was supposed to say anything there. I begin to realize that we're in the host club. This is Mori. I just made out with Mori-sempai, in front of a room full of fan girls and my only friends, and…I think I liked it…a LOT. I feel myself get even redder as I look around the room. Literally everyone is staring at us. Suddenly, Tamaki stands up.

"I'm very sorry, but due to other appointments and jobs and things, the host club will be closing early today! Please, direct any comments to our wonderful Kyouya and have a nice day! We will see you soon!" He began ushering girls out of the room, his speech allowing Mori and I to separate from our embrace. I just made out with a guy! And it was MORI. I don't even talk to Mori! Mori doesn't say anything…ever! That would be like Haruhi making out with Hani! What's going on here? Why the hell did I enjoy that? What's wrong with me? I spend so much time in my thoughts that I don't notice when all of the girls are gone. I don't notice until I feel a hand on my shoulder.

"H-Hikaru, what was that?" Kaoru is looking at me unsurely. It was just supposed to be a peck on the lips. We just MADE OUT, off script! He's going to think I'm a weirdo. I probably just grossed out my brother! Oh my god, what is wrong with me?!

"We kissed, and obviously he enjoyed it. Is there something wrong with that?" Mori-sempai jumps in for me. He sounds legitimately jealous.

"No, not at all! I'm not saying it's a bad thing, I mean I of all people support this kind of stuff, I just didn't know that Hikaru had feelings for you."

"Hold on! I don't know how I feel! I'm really; really confused right now…I don't know what's going on!" It comes out a bit louder than I intended.

"So you don't have feelings for Mori-sempai?" Haruhi pipes in confusedly.

"That's not what I'm saying! I have no idea…I might..." I look over at Mori for a moment, searching his eyes for any sign that he might feel one way or another about me. Before I can be sure, he looks away.

"Hikaru, if you don't know how you feel, you need more time to think about it. Just in case, I'd like to make my intentions very clear. I do have feelings for you, Hikaru. I do have the intention of pursuing you, however, should you reject me, I will leave you be." Mori states flatly, and then walks out with his bag, just like that. I feel myself flush for what seems like the ten thousandth time today. Mori has feeling for me? Since when? How long has he felt this way? What does he mean he intends to pursue me? More than that, do I want him to? Why did I like that kiss so much? Why did it feel so right? Is it because I've never kissed a girl? Should I kiss a girl to compare it? Am I…gay?

"Hikaru, I'm sure you're really confused. I'm your brother, and I can help you get through this." Kaoru tries to reassure me. I nod quietly, unsure of what else to do. I'm not sure what I'm going to do, but I know for a fact that I can no longer call today average.


	2. Butterflies

After the whole Mori incident, Kaoru and I take a car home. He isn't trying to bother me now, but we haven't gotten home yet. I have a feeling the second we get upstairs and into our room he's going to berate me with questions and advice. To be honest, I can't say I don't deserve it either. I knew something weird was going on with my feelings, and yet I tried to avoid talking to him about it. Kaoru has been my closest friend for as long as I can remember, so when he finds out I've been keeping my problems from him, he's going to be upset. Be that as it may, I too have ammunition for the battle to come. I know he's been hiding something, and if he intends to help me I intend to do the same for him. The car slows to a stop in front of our expansive estate and Kaoru and I step out of the car and begin walking to the door. We're up the stairs in a flash and, just as expected, Kaoru opens his mouth the second our bedroom door closes.

"Hikaru, listen, I know a lot must be going through your head right now, and I want to help you. Sit down and we can talk about all of this." He starts off immediately, his tone one of a worried mother. I chuckle at his kindness before responding.

"That's fine, but before that I want to hear about what you've been keeping secret from me. Like it or not, you know what's going on with me to a degree; however I know nothing about what you're trying to hide from me. Spill the beans Kaoru, and then we can work out my problems." I look him square in the eye and speak bluntly. For a minute he looks shocked, but finally he nods.

"I guess that's only fair, huh? Figures I can't keep anything from you." He chuckles, and then clears his throat. "Well, Hikaru, I'm not sure how else to say this, so I'm just going to be blunt. I'm gay…and I'm in love with Kyouya." He looks me dead in the eye with a serious expression. My mouth falls open after a second and I can't say anything for a moment. Finally, I swallow the lump in my throat.

"S-seriously? You're in love with…Kyouya? Is that why you were flirting with him today? And why we've been pranking him more often lately? I mean, I understand your _liking _him, but are you sure you **love** him? I mean, how long have you known?" He smiles slightly.

"To be honest, I liked him ever since I first saw him in the host club. The only reason I've been acting weird recently is because I realized I love him and that I was completely gay. I've always known I like guys, but I didn't realize I didn't like girls until a few weeks ago. It came as a bit of a shock to be honest." I'm still surprised, but quite happy for him.

"So you've been flirting with him because you know you love him?" I ask him curiously. He blushes slightly before nodding.

"I doubt it'll do any good, I think Kyouya's straight, but I can't help but try." He sounds shy. Silly Kaoru, how can he not see his feelings are reciprocated?

"Haven't you noticed how much he blushes around you? There's no way he doesn't at least like you! You can't fake a blush." He smiles at me optimistically.

"You think so? I hope so. Speaking of blushing though, what does that say about you? Your face was as red as a tomato when you were kissing Mori-sempai. Plus I heard, not one, but _two_ moans come from your mouth. Can you deny that you like Mori?" Now it's my turn to go red.

"K-Kaoru! I told you, I don't know how I feel! And you were all the way across the room, how did you hear those…" He smirks.

"Aha! So you _did_ moan! I didn't actually hear it; one of your customers was talking about it as she was leaving. By the way, your little stunt made Kyouya **very** happy. It's going to bring in a lot of customers, and it will give Renge plenty of new ideas for the doujinshi." I sigh in annoyance for ratting myself out. I should learn to keep my mouth shut. Kaoru looks at me a bit more seriously. "So you really don't know how you feel about him, huh?"

"No…I really don't. I'm so confused right now Kaoru. I thought I liked Haruhi, but when I thought about it, I realized that I just…don't. I've been trying to imagine the ideal girlfriend, but nothing seems right, and when I kissed him…it did. It felt more right than anything in the world! I just don't know what that means. I mean, I've never kissed a girl, so maybe it feels better? Maybe I'm just over excited, maybe I'm just desperate. Kaoru…how do you know if you're gay?" I ramble it all out in a confused mess of emotions, Kaoru paying close attention all the while.

"Well, there's no one way to tell, but I can tell you how I figured it out." I look at him, eagerly seeking an answer. "I can't say for sure if this is the case for everyone, but…I started to do the same things you did. I started trying to imagine the ideal girl, but when I couldn't I looked further. I started trying to imagine the ideal guy. I've known I like guys, of course, so that wasn't difficult. Unfortunately, I had no problem figuring it out. I thought of the ideal guy, the guy who can be manipulative but nice. The guy with so much ambition and passion, with so much talent and intelligence, and a bit of an ego. The guy with dark hair and eyes who wears glasses. I thought of a guy I'd love to spend my life with, and it barely took me any time at all."

"Wait…but you knew you liked Kyouya! How is that going to help me?" I ask him unsurely.

"Maybe you should try imagining what your dream _guy_ would be like. You might just kill two birds with one stone." He smiles a knowing smile at me before standing to leave the room. "Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to eat something. I skipped lunch earlier, remember? I'm starving!" With that, he left the room, closing the door behind him. So I need to think of a dream guy, huh? How do I even go about doing that? I don't even know if I _like _guys!

'_I heard, not __**one, **__but __**two**__ moans come from your mouth! Can you deny that you like Mori?' _His words pop into my mind and I feel myself blush slightly. Okay, so I liked the kiss, which means I at least like kissing guys. You can't very well like kissing something if you don't like it itself. By that logic, I need to come to terms with the fact that I do, in fact…_like _guys. That means that I'm at least bisexual.

"…My god, I like _guys…_" Saying it out loud feels oddly…satisfying. I feel relieved, like a big weight has been lifted off of me. I guess I've kind of been denying a part of myself for a while now, so I feel relieved to finally acknowledge it. I wonder if I'd feel that way if I just said I was gay… I'm almost scared to try it.

"I…I'm…" I try to say it, but every time the words start to form something in me stops me from saying it. Maybe I'm not ready to figure that out about myself yet. I feel good just admitting I like guys; I don't want to push it all at once. Regardless, Kaoru's not the only one who skipped lunch. I'm pretty hungry myself, so before I do any more soul-searching, I need a snack. With that thought in mind, I stand to leave, exiting the room to head down the stairs. I walk casually into the kitchen, spotting Kaoru at the table eating celery.

"Your stomach attacking you too?" He smirks at me. I smile, nodding in response. I end up sitting across from him, also snacking on celery. We eat in companionable silence for a few moments before standing to leave for our room.

"So, I made a small discovery…" I speak as we enter the room. He turns around to look at me as if to say, 'and that'd be?'. I swallow and pause for a second. "Well, I've come to terms with the fact that I do like guys. I still don't know if I'm gay or not though, or how I feel about Mori." He frowns a bit, but then smiles encouragingly.

"You'll get there, don't rush yourself. I think your feelings for Mori will become quite clear soon enough, and when that happens your sexuality will either have been resolved or will be later." He speaks vaguely, but sounds sure of himself. I feel a bit like I'm out of the loop, but I smile and nod nonetheless.

"I've just been wondering…what do you think Mori meant about pursuing me? What do you think he's going to do? I mean, will Hani approve? I always thought he was in love with Hani, when did he start to like me?" I can't help but start spewing questions as they pop into my mind.

"Well, I think that he's probably liked you for a while now. Mori's not exactly subtle, but he's not the type to face his feelings head on either. He's probably only just now getting up the confidence to confront you. If that's the case, I think Hani already knows and, being as secretly manipulative as he is sometimes, may have even planned this absence as a way to give Mori the chance to act on his feelings. As for pursuing you, as I said, Mori's not exactly subtle, but he has class. He'll probably carry your bag for you, pay for your lunch, compliment you, and be gentlemanly. Also, remember what he said. If you feel uncomfortable, he'll stop. That just shows how much he cares about your feelings, so I doubt his pursuing you will involve anything that would make you too uncomfortable straight away." Kaoru is always so insightful when it comes to reading people.

"So he'll be a gentleman…" I try to imagine Mori doing those things for me. It's not too hard. I imagine him waiting outside my classroom and offering to carry my bag. He escorts me to my classes, sits with me at lunch, tries to buy me food… he'd compliment me, huh? How would that play out?

'_Hikaru, your hands are soft. You're so beautiful." __**Mori's eyes bore into mine, glistening intensely, pulling me in. I feel my face redden at the attention.**_

___"Mori-sempai, I'm not beautiful. That's embarrassing, I'm a guy!" __**He looks sad for a moment.**_

___"My apologies Hikaru, I didn't mean to offend you. I only said what I thought to be true…" _I snap out of it, my cheeks flushed at the embarrassing daydream. I feel like Tamaki! I'm over here fantasizing about stupid things like an idiot!

"I'm sure it won't be too embarrassing, Hikaru. Don't worry about it. For all you know, you could enjoy it." He winks at me, nudging me with his elbow. I gasp a bit, sputtering in embarrassment.

"Kaoru, stop teasing me!" He smirks at me, and before I know it it's dinner time. After eating, I take a shower and get to bed. Tomorrow is sure to be interesting.

I wake up normally enough, but I know the second I get to school things are going to get weird. Mori's going to pursue me, huh? I wonder if he'll start today. I feel a knot start to form in my stomach at the thought. Am I excited, or is this dread? I can't really tell. Maybe I don't want to know for sure. I put on my uniform and head downstairs for breakfast. I scarf it down quickly so as to speed along the process of getting to school. I see Kaoru smirking out of the corner of my eye. I blush slightly as I realize how eager I must seem. I'm such an idiot sometimes. I brush my teeth and make for the car.

Before long, we're at the front of the school. I reach for the door handle when suddenly someone's hand pushes mine out of the way, grabbing it and opening the door for me. I turn to see Mori holding the door open with one hand, placing the other on my back to gently push me inside. I blush slightly at the kind gesture, his punctuality catching me off guard. Who knew he'd start this early?

"Th-thank you, Mori-sempai…" I stutter out shyly as I step inside the school. Kaoru passes me entirely, leaving me to stand alone with Mori.

"My pleasure, Hikaru." He smiles slightly, looking at me affectionately. I feel myself start to blush again, and I want to slap myself! What is wrong with me, why does he make me blush so much? "May I carry your bag? I can escort you to your class, if you don't mind." His tone is so kind and gentle, I can't help but give in.

"I-if you want to, ah, yeah." I hand him my bag. "You can walk with me if you want, I don't mind at all. You won't be late to your class, will you?" I ask him unsurely. I know Mori's class isn't exactly close to mine.

"Nn." He shakes his head, taking my bag in hand with his own. I smile slightly and nod.

"If you're sure, then let's go on." I start walking alongside him towards my class. We're walking pretty close, and I keep accidentally hitting his hand with mine. After a few times, Mori reaches over to take my hand in his so that we're holding hands as we walk. I gasp quietly, taken slightly by surprise. He glances over at me as if to ask if it's okay. His hand is large and warm, albeit slightly rougher than mine. I don't pull away and try to convey my approval of the small gesture silently by squeezing his hand slightly. I see the corners of his lips quirk up slightly upon my doing so, and we continue in silence. After a few moments, we arrive in front of my class. Mori releases my hand and hands me my bag, but locks me in place with his eyes. A long moment passes in silence before he finally says what's on his mind.

"Can I… kiss you on the cheek, Hikaru?" He finally asks, his tone almost slightly unsure. The question catches me off guard, and my mouth falls open for a second before I regain composure and try to formulate an answer. It's just on the cheek, right? It won't hurt. Besides, I like kissing him, so maybe it will help me realize my feelings.

"Umm…yes. You can kiss me." I finally mutter out quietly, feeling odd for being so shy about it. I'm a guy; I need to stop being such a girl!

"Hn." He leans forward slowly, placing his hand under my chin to pull my face up, and then presses a soft and gentle kiss on my cheek. It's so kind and tender that I lose sight of who he is for a moment. This kind and caring gentleman is the same strong, silent, distant, and slightly scary Mori-sempai? Really? "Thank you, Hikaru. I will be here after class to escort you to lunch." He rubs his thumb across my cheek tenderly before taking his leave. I stand there, frozen for a moment until I'm able to walk into the classroom. I walk slowly to my seat beside Haruhi and turn to find her smiling wryly at me.

"You look really happy today, Hikaru." Her voice sounds almost knowing and slightly teasing. I look over her shoulder to find a very knowing and very teasing look in my brother's eyes. Great, they're double-teaming me! What does she mean I look happy? I raise my hands to my face to find that I'm actually smiling rather widely. When did that happen?! I quickly stop smiling, replacing my former dopey expression with one of near apathy.

"I could say the same about you, Haruhi." My tone has an underlying sharpness to it. She smirks.

"Well, unlike you, I don't have much of a reason to be." Great, she's going to bother me about this, isn't she? I guess that's what I get for bothering her about Tamaki all of the time.

"Whatever do you mean?" I try to sound unaffected, but I know I kind of ground that out.

"Well, for starters, I didn't have an off-script make out session yesterday. On top of that, I don't have some weird suitor to give me good morning kisses and carry my bag for me." The words sound more like full out bullying than teasing, but I know Haruhi is just not very good at being sarcastic or teasing. Between the two of them, I'm not sure who's worse at teasing lightheartedly, Haruhi or Kyouya. It's hard to tell, but one thing's for sure; they're both brutally honest and blunt when they need to be.

"Well, I'm quite sure that, if you asked him, Tamaki-san would have no problems taking care of that for you." I wink at her and then start unpacking my books. She huffs, frowning, like she does every time I bring up Tamaki. We all know she likes him, and we all know he likes her, but for some reason they won't let each other know. Even though they've both been told that the other reciprocates their feelings, neither seems to want to believe it. There was actually one point where both of them thought the other was madly in love with Kyouya. That was amusing as hell.

"What was that about a good morning kiss?" Kaoru butts in, leaning forward to make eye contact with me. I groan and Haruhi chuckles. Great, now he's going to bother me about it.

"Hikaru got a nice, sweet little kiss from Mori-sempai by the door earlier. It was quite romantic, actually." Haruhi smirks, showing her devious side. Kaoru and I are probably the only two who ever see her like this. She tends to avoid being this rude around the other host members, considering their personalities.

"Is that so, Hikaru? Have you finally moved out of Denialville, or are you still a resident?" Kaoru smirks at me teasingly. I frown at the bad joke. What is he talking about anyway? I'm not in denial, I admitted that I like guys!

"If I were you, I'd be quiet. Unless you _want_ Haruhi to know your dirty little secret…" I hint at his crush on Kyouya teasingly. I'd never tell her unless he was okay with it, but I can damn sure tease him about it.

"Okay, okay! I'll shut up now, just keep your mouth shut, Hikaru!" He's blushing! Ha! I smirk at him proudly.

"Wow, come on guys! What secret?" Haruhi looks back and forth between us as though trying to read the answer on our faces.

"Oh nothing, Haruhi. If things go the way I think they will, I'm sure you'll find out on your own." I wink at Kaoru, then turn to face the front of the room just as the teacher walks in.

Classes fly by in a blur. Before I know it, it's lunch time. Mori said he'd be escorting me to lunch. I wonder if he plans on sitting with me then. If so, is Hani going to join us, or will it just be him? Kaoru already said he'd leave us alone, and Haruhi said she'd sit with Kaoru. That means that it's possible that he and I will be sitting alone together. I feel my face redden at the thought. It's just Mori, get a grip Hikaru!

"Hello Hikaru, sorry for being late." Mori bows in front of me. I didn't notice he was even here yet. He straightens himself and stares into my eyes.

"No problem, I'm sure your class was out of the way. I didn't mind the wait." I try to be polite. If this had been some chick, I would've ripped her a new one. Why am I being so considerate of Mori?

"If you're sure, we'd better go now." He extends his hand in offering. He wants to hold my hand? I feel my cheeks warm up a bit as I place my hand in his. He smiles softly and squeezes it slightly, causing my heart to skip a beat. His hands are so warm. We arrive at the cafeteria quickly, making our way to the line. Just as we're about to start standing in line, Mori turns to me.

"Hikaru, you can tell me what you want now and go find a seat. You won't be paying for your meal today." I feel myself blush again.

"Sempai, you don't have to do that, really!" I begin to politely protest. I don't want him to waste his money if I'm not even sure how I feel about him yet, that doesn't seem right.

"Please, Hikaru, I insist." His tone seems to leave little room for argument.

"Well if you feel that strongly about it…I'll just take whatever you're having." I smile at him slightly. He returns the smile and nods.

"Very well. Please go ahead and sit down somewhere. I will be there soon with our food." I nod and walk away, looking for a good place to sit. I end up deciding on a small table beside a window with three chairs. That way, in case Hani is sitting with us, he won't have to pull up a chair. I sit down, staring out the window as I wait. My thoughts drift back to the kiss yesterday. His lips were soft, but thin. It was obvious he was a man. The way he kissed me felt so…passionate. So much emotion from such an apathetic guy…

"I have our food. I chose rice and curry, I'm sorry if it's not what you want. I have no problems with reordering if you want something fancier." Mori sets the plates of food down on the table. I smile at his politeness.

"No, rice and curry is just fine. Thank you for buying me lunch." He sits down across from me, nodding.

"Will Hani-sempai be joining us today?" I ask him curiously. Was it pointless to find a three seated table?

"No, he insisted on sitting with a group of girls instead when I told him I planned to sit with you." That makes it sound like he's avoiding me…

"Does he know…that you, ah…like me?" It feels weird to address his feelings out loud.

"Yes. I told Hani when I first developed feelings for you. He's known since I have." Has he liked me for that long?

"So…just how long ago did you start to develop feelings for me?" Did that sound rude?

"Hn…I realized it two years ago. I've known of you since preschool, but I noticed you romantically around two years ago. I realized that you were very different from your brother, and the more I thought about you the more I came to like you." Wow. He's liked me for two years!

"You've liked me for that long?! I don't think I could keep quiet about a crush for that long…" I see him almost smile slightly.

"I'm quiet in general, so it wasn't a problem for me." I nod awkwardly, not sure how to respond. I don't really get crushes, so I don't know how he feels. The more I thought about that the more it made me wonder just what he feels. Maybe if I ask him what he feels for me, I can figure out what it means to really like someone. Then I could better understand my feelings for him, right?

"Uh…Mori-sempai?" He looked up at me from his food, directly into my eyes. He's always so direct and straightforward.

"Please, call me Takashi. I know you're comfortable seeing me as your sempai, but I feel the need to come away from that considering my feelings for you." Again, so straightforward. I feel myself blush a bit in embarrassment.

"Very well…ah…T-Takashi, then?" He smiles a bit, admittedly a heart-stoppingly handsome look for him. In fact, I'm quite sure my heart sped up a bit just seeing it.

"Yes, Hikaru?" He asks, his voice a silky baritone. I suddenly realize how embarrassing my question might be.

"Well…I was wondering…j-just what does it feel like? I mean…how do you _know_ you like me?" His expression shifts into a soft, deeply kind look, as if he's thinking about something secretly precious to him.

"The way I feel is quite simple, actually. I know beyond a doubt that I like you; and I don't mean to make you feel uncomfortable, but I think I am capable of feeling even more for you. Everything about you that I can see interests me, and all that I don't seems to be even more interesting. As far as looks go, you are beautiful, no one can doubt that, however there is a feeling I get from you, Hikaru, as if you're really more self-conscious than you want people to think. You hide from the world behind your façade, and I want to see who you really are. I've caught glimpses…and it seems wonderful. I want to see your world and be a part of it. I think about you all the time, ways that I can make myself better for you. I want to make myself into someone you'll notice…I want you to notice me the way I notice you. You make me push myself, Hikaru." Over the course of his speech, I feel my face turn a deep scarlet red. My heart is beating unbelievably fast. I'm so…flattered? I…have no idea what this feeling is called. What do I feel for you, Takashi?

"T-Takashi…wow…You know, you could easily take over Tamaki's job as the prince, right?" I laugh awkwardly and he smirks a bit.

"I'm only saying the truth. You are the only one this I feel this way about; I would not lie to girls I don't know." I feel my blush deepen impossibly. How can he say things like that with a straight face?!

"I-I…Uhh…y-you uh-th-thank you….umm…" I stammer embarrassedly, unsure of how to respond without looking stupid. He smiles kindly at me.

"No thanks are needed, Hikaru." I like the way he says my name. It seems to fall effortlessly from his lips, as though he had spoken it comfortably for some time now. It reminds me that I'm still having trouble calling him by his first name. Has he practiced? When would he say my name? Suddenly a thought occurred to me; Takashi at home alone, in his room, the lights turned off…cheeks flushing with arousal as he imagines me…my name spilling quietly from his lips in a moan… "Hikaru…"

My eyes widen and I make a choking noise in the back of my throat. Bad Hikaru! Those are…very inappropriate thoughts to be having about someone who's sitting right in front of you! He looks at me curiously, likely due to my sudden awkward noise-making. I merely laugh awkwardly and avert my gaze. I try to think of something to change the subject to, something less embarrassing, but before I can Mo-Takashi decides to speak.

"So, have I come any closer to making you like me?" He asks candidly, taking me completely by surprise. He's certainly not going to beat around the bush, is he?

"Well…I'm not sure." I start off, then notice his expression fall slightly, and frown. "I do think that I… feel something for you, Takashi, but I just don't know exactly what it is that I feel." He seems a little less off-put by this, even smiling at me faintly.

"I guess I have to work harder then, don't I?" He asks, getting up to take both of our plates and guide me to my next class. I can't help but wonder what that entails, and whether or not I like it. The butterflies in my stomach are trying to tell me something, and I need to figure out just what that is. For now, I grip his hand and follow him to class, letting myself get lost in the unfamiliar feeling of being by his side.


End file.
